Lamb & Ricotta Zucchini Boats

When I was a young girl, sometimes my mom would make stuffed zucchini. She hasn’t made them for years, but this week when I received Zucchini in my FFTY box, I thought of them, and decided to give whipping up something similar a chance. I didn’t want to go in the same direction as the Stuffed Bell Peppers I made last week – so instead of using rice, I decided to use up some of day-old No Knead Bread I had left over.

Because zucchini’s have a lot of moisture, and I didn’t want to add any extra moisture, I decided to salt and drain the zucchini beforehand – it was a tip that I had seen on the kitchn recently, which was definitely one of those Aha! moments for me – like “duh… of course you can salt and drain zucchini”. Next time I want to hollow out zukes though, I’m going to throw on a movie and do it earlier in the day. It took me a little longer than I thought it would.

I also think I may have hollowed them just a little too far, since they didn’t hold their shape as well as I might have hoped after baking, but they were still absolutely delish. Anyhow – unlike other stuffing style dishes I’ve made – this time I did not toast the bread crumbs – the bread crust was chewy enough to add some texture, and the softer pieces absorbed the moisture and melded beautifully with the other ingredients.